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When companies are looking to fill openings, they often begin by looking for job candidates outside the business. But, by doing this, they’re overlooking a great well of talent that is right under their nose, namely, their own employees.

Employees are often overlooked because company leaders have a bias toward people outside the company. And there is really no good reason for this. Often it is simply the result of a grass is greener attitude.

Here are some of the biases that leaders have which prevent them from finding talent within their own company.

Different Types Of Biases

People often have preconceived notions about others, attitudes and beliefs they may hold based on scant evidence. And it is these biases that can prevent them from making good hiring decisions. Here are a few of them

A bias to conform

We may downplay our own conclusions and thoughts simply because we value the respect of our group and want to go along to get along. So we simply adopt the prevailing attitudes of the group.

A halo bias

This is where we become biased toward someone because of a certain quality that we see in them. But in doing this, we overlook negative qualities that the person may have and fail to see the red flags about their character.

The horns bias

This is the opposite of the halo bias, where the only thing we see is a flaw in a person. This colors our perception of them so much that we miss many of the good qualities that the person may have.

Bias toward the similar

We like what is familiar to us, and so a manager may be more inclined toward someone whom the manager perceives to be more like him, even though other candidates may be stronger.

Contrast bias

This is where we have a tendency to compare a person to someone who was interviewed just before or just after the person, rather than focusing on the person’s qualifications for the job.

Confirmation bias

This is where we only pay attention to evidence that confirms or supports our preconceived notions and ignore other information or data that may conflict with what we already believe. This type of bias is prevalent.

Because our outlook is often colored by the preconceived ideas or biases we have, it is important when hiring to get a diversity of opinion about potential candidates so that you get many different perspectives and don’t fall victim to one of these biases.

Winston Resources is here to provide your company with the talent you need to make your business the best it can be. We have the knowledge and experience to help your business with the people you need. Give us a call today.


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